Andor continues to evolve in another excellent episode

No post-heist lull here: “Announcement” is an episode teeming with big moves and bigger swings as Andor steadily continues to stakes its claim as not only the best Star Wars series so far but one of the best Star Wars stories, period. It was only a few weeks ago Cassian was languishing on Ferrix, but Tony Gilroy and his writers have crammed in a whole season’s worth of development into the last four episodes without the pace ever feeling inorganic. I’ll get to the recap in a minute, but damn, this is a captivating and wonderfully constructed show born of a concept many thought was peripheral at best. Everyone agree? Right. Let’s get to it.

It goes to show just how well Andor has handled its deep bench of supporting characters, because I barely noticed we don’t even see Cassian until the 17-minute mark. While he recovers from the tolls—physical and emotional—of last week’s heist, he’s still fresh in the mind of Syril, whose so-far unseen uncle has sorted him with a glorified cubicle job measuring “fuel purity.” It’s an embarrassment of, well, embarrassments for Karn, who gets lambasted by his mother no matter what. Last week she scolded him for slouching; this week she’s on him for wearing a tailored shirt. (What are Star Wars clothes called?) She tells him the effortful look says, “Look at me, I don’t believe in myself” with all the cutting sincerity of a diminutive Lucille Bluth. She might be my favorite villain so far.

Speaking of villains, Luthen is making moves towards that column, too. He alludes to Cassian as a “loose end” and, what’s more, Mon Mothma is furious at the brazenness of his heist and the fact she was completely in the dark about it. In response to the security breach on Aldhani, the Empire is tightening its grip. Prison sentences are extended across the galaxy, taxes raised, and in a decree that’s sure to impact the Aldhani natives “the use of any local custom, festival, or tradition as cover for rebel activity will trigger permanent revocation of Imperial tolerance.” We’ve seen glimpses so far, but the Empire is starting to resemble the mask-off fascist regime we know it truly is.

There’s a lot to unpack here. Supervisor Meero suspects, rightly, that the Empire’s overreaction will only stir more rebel sentiments. Mon, incredulous at Luthen’s approach, tells him “people will suffer,” to which he calmly replies, “that’s the plan.” We’ve seen this before, not just in Star Wars, sadly—the bigger picture, the greater good. Everyone has an excuse when it comes to hurting people, and by pulling the trigger on the rebellion “announcing” itself, Luthen’s put a timer on Mon setting up a safe, secure network. I loved the mirrored scenes in which both factions argue the pros and cons of the Empire stepping up its terrorism. Star Wars has traditionally relied on Imperial forces to be generally inept and self-important, but there’s competence and awareness here which makes them all the more dangerous.

For this, she enlists the help of a childhood friend, Tay, at her husband’s big event she so dreaded a couple of episodes ago. She needs to dip into her family fortune and, as luck would have it, Tay’s a hotshot banker. Is it just me or was there a little flirting going on between the two? Trusting her instincts, she all but tells Tay flat-out that she’s a leading force behind the insurrection, and a wry smile crosses his face just for a second.

Meanwhile, Cassian returns to Ferrix a wannabe conquering hero, but his optimism is short lived. He tells Maarva and B2EMO they’re leaving for somewhere safe, out of the Empire’s reach. Fiona Shaw is brilliant as she agrees to Cassian’s plan, but everything in her eyes and voice tells us a different story: She’s going nowhere. She’s old, she’s tired, and her rebellion is in her mind. “They can build as many barracks as they like. They’ll never find me,” she tells Cassian resolutely. He stops for another emotional sendoff with Bix and leaves Ferrix once again. It’s the right choice for Cassian, and the show, but I’m hoping we get more of Shaw and the excellent Adria Arjona, who has been seriously underutilized so far.

The infighting at the Imperial Security Bureau reaches a head in “Announcement,” too. Blevin lodges a charge against Meero for accessing Morlana data without permission. This backfires spectacularly as Major Partagaz sees this as impressive initiative under the new circumstances and reassigns the Morlana section to Meero. “Well played, watch your back,” Partagaz quietly tells Meero as he departs. Andor has had no shortage of well-executed social commentary amidst the action and even the “gender politics in the workplace” stuff lands, despite the fact they’re serving fucking Emperor Palpatine (who even gets a namecheck this week!).

“Announcement” is an absolutely loaded episode, and we’re nowhere near done yet. We jump in time a little (a few weeks? A month?) to when Cassian is living as Keef Girgo on Niamos. Niamos is basically Space Boca Raton, complete with elderly tourists wearing neon visors and some wacky aliens. Unfortunately, even vacation spots are under new Imperial overreach, and Cassian’s detained by an overzealous “Shoretrooper,” strangled by a KX droid, and put in front of a judge for a bogus charge. “This used to be six months,” she muses to herself, before the new change of guidelines, and Cassian is sentenced to six years of prison time. Cassian hand-delivered Luthen’s message to the Empire, and now he’s seeing the consequences. I have absolutely no idea where Andor goes from here, and I can’t wait to find out.

Stray observations

• When I say this episode was loaded, I mean loaded. We get another flashback to when the Empire first came to Ferrix. Cassian’s adopted father, in trying to calm rioters throwing missiles at Stormtroopers, was hanged in the town square for his trouble. Cassian taking his name on the Aldhani mission gets a new heartbreaking dimension.
• Blink and you’ll miss it, but Cinta’s still on Aldhani (I think?) and watches as a Star Destroyer thunders overhead. Andor has been excellent about slowly introducing the more iconic sights from the Star Wars universe, and it’s the same story here. The birds flying alongside it give a sense of scale and menace that’s lost in the big laser space fights.
• “I’ll be worried about you all the time.” “That’s just love.” FUCK.
• As we know from Rogue One Cassian later aligns himself with a witty KX droid who’s defected to the rebellion. Safe to say his first experience isn’t a positive one.
• A moment of appreciation for Andor’s brief but regal title card. Nicholas Britell’s understated musical swell makes it something special.